For our third project, we were asked to develop ideas for a strange interior space. While developing ideas, all I could think of were the most basic, overdone ideas such as the inside of a dishwasher, through a window, etc. Whenever I am at a roadblock for ideas, I go straight to my photos because without knowing assignments for projects, I am always taking inspiration pictures. Scrolling through my photos I found three that I absolutely loved and was very inspired by. It was proving to be a very tough decision so I decided to do a small, quick practice water color painting of the following photo I took in Arles, France over the summer:
I ended up really liking it and I decided why not? I am not used to water color AT ALL, but I know that it is ultimately good for me to show I can handle a variety of mediums and I thought this was a great project to potentially improve my skills. My art teacher suggested I tackle a huge sheet of water color paper and at first I found that extremely intimidating! But after thinking about it, I thought if I was going to scare myself by using water colors, I may as well scare myself by using a huge sheet of paper as well. I sketched it all out which was harder than it sounds because I struggled to get the proportions right on such a large area. The first stroke of paint was super scary but then I was hooked. I completed the painting in just a couple days, partially because watercolors go fast, and partially because I was so excited.
The greatest challenge for me while completing this piece was definitely figuring out how to manipulate the water colors. Over the past year, I have really developed my oil painting skills which are incredibly different than water colors, so this felt like a whole new world. It was challenging figuring out how to achieve dark enough values and how to get clean, precise lines. I got more and more used to it, however, as I went along and really feel as if I broadened my water color skills.
It was also challenging attempting to make the painting look realistic like the photograph. I really had to let myself loosen up and make certain things up that were not evident in the picture. Also, I had to tweak a few elements that I felt would make the overall piece better such as adding in some greens and reds in the brick archway to have repetition.
One thing that I think is a huge success of this piece was my color palette. I usually work in more vibrant colors and not very many neutrals so it was hard to scale myself back. I think the repetition of the neutral, warm colors with the addition of the bright pops of blues and reds was a huge success. Also, I think the composition of the piece worked really well. The off centered-ness of the archway and the heaviness on the left side drew me to the photo originally and I think I captured that in my piece.
Overall, I am really happy with how the piece turned out. It may not be my best piece but I really enjoyed the opportunity to experiment with a new medium and stretch outside of my comfort zone. I know those skills will carry with me into future projects.
It was also challenging attempting to make the painting look realistic like the photograph. I really had to let myself loosen up and make certain things up that were not evident in the picture. Also, I had to tweak a few elements that I felt would make the overall piece better such as adding in some greens and reds in the brick archway to have repetition.
One thing that I think is a huge success of this piece was my color palette. I usually work in more vibrant colors and not very many neutrals so it was hard to scale myself back. I think the repetition of the neutral, warm colors with the addition of the bright pops of blues and reds was a huge success. Also, I think the composition of the piece worked really well. The off centered-ness of the archway and the heaviness on the left side drew me to the photo originally and I think I captured that in my piece.
Overall, I am really happy with how the piece turned out. It may not be my best piece but I really enjoyed the opportunity to experiment with a new medium and stretch outside of my comfort zone. I know those skills will carry with me into future projects.